Pencil-serving memorandum pad-holder



Oct. 6, 1959 H. L. NEILSEN 07,

PENCIL-SERVING MEMORANDUM PAD-HOLDER Filed Oct. 2, 1951 ZSheets-Sheet 1 1 I INVENTOR: 6 HILDGUE L. NEILSEN A !-'3 ATTORNEY Oct. 6, 1959 H. L. NEILSEN 2,907,584

PENCIL-SERVING MEMORANDUM PAD-HOLDER Filed Oct. 2, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 INVENTOR: HILD'HUFE L. NEILSEN BY M United States Patent 6 M PENCIL-SERVING MEMORANDUM PAD-HOLDER Hildaur Neilsen, Metuchen, NJ.

Application October 2, 1957, Serial No. 687,640

Claims. (Cl. 281-15) This invention relates to improvements in a memorandum pad-holder having a cover which may be caused to swing open by manipulation of a catch and relates more particularly to an arrangement by means of which a pencil within the device is caused to swing angularly to a limited extent with the cover into an attitude in which the'pencil is served to the user to enable it to be grasped readily for use in writing and thereafter to be returned readily to its place in the device preliminary to closing of the latter with the pencil therein. The term pencil as employed in this description and in the accompanying claims is intended to include not only a pencil but a pen or any other writing instrument.

An important object of the invention is the provision of such a device with such a pencil-serving arrangement.

Another important object is the provision of such an arrangement wherein the pencil is forcibly held precisely a predetermined angle to serve it to a user when the device is open.

Another important object is the provision of such an arrangement wherein the means for thus forcibly holding the pencil at a predetermined angle include means functioning also in opening the device.

Another important object is the provision of means in a memorandum pad-holder enabling a memorandum pad to be easily inserted into and removed from the holder.

The foregoing and other objects are derived from this invention of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying drawings for illustrative purposes without, however, limiting the invention to that particular embodiment.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device according t a preferred embodiment of this invention, the device being shown in its open condition,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of said device in closed condition. I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged view sectionalized at the same plane as Fig. 3; the device, however, being partly open.

Fig. 5 is a similarly enlarged view sectionalized at the same plane as Figs. 3 and 4; the device, however, being fully open.

Fig. 6 is a similarly enlarged sectional view substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the base plate of the device illustrated in Figs. 1-6.

The illustrated device comprises chiefly a base 10, a cover 12, a cross-rod 14 pivotally interconnecting said base and cover at their back ends, a tubular pencil-retainer 16 pivotal upon said rod, a pencil 17 removably disposed in said pencil-retainer, a torque spring 18 normally urging the cover toward its open position, shown in Figs. 1 and 5, a latch 20 pivoted to the base and yieldably held by a tensioned coil spring 22 in manually the pencil 17. The spring 18 is structurally similar to' releasable latching association with a latch detent 24 formed on a front end flange 25 of the cover 12 to holdthe device closed as in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, a torque spring I cover 12, and a memorandum pad 32, a bottom end board or sheet 34 of which is engaged underneath opposed, parallel retaining flanges 36 struck up from the base 10, to hold the pad fixedly in the device.

The base 10, cover 12, pencil-retainer 16, and latch 20 may advantageously be of suitable sheet metal, formed as illustrated, and as herein described. The cover, as shown, has side flanges 38 and the base has struck-up lugs 40 and the cross'- rod14 extends through aligned apertures in the flanges 38 and lugs 40 to effect the pivotal connection of the base and the cover. The covers flanges 25, 30 and 38 are all of aboutthe same width, said flanges giving to the cover a depth sufficient to enable the cover to enclose the pad 32 upon the base 10.

The pencil-retainer 16 may be D shaped in cross-i section, as best seen in Fig. 6 and may have aligned holes at opposite sides of its inner end through which the rod 14 freely extends. The coils of torque spring 26 extend about the rod 14 between side portions of the pencil-retainer adjacent to the latters holes. Oneend 42 of said spring bears against the inside face of the cover 12 and the other end 44 of said spring seats within an inner corner of the pencil-retainer 16, thereby being ofi center and clear of interference with spring 26 but the ends 46 and 48 of spring 18 bear respectively against the inside surface of the cover 12 and against the top surface of the base 10.

The base 10 is formed with an elongate recess 50 to,

accommodate therewithin portions of the pencil 17 and the pencil-retainer 16 when the device is closed. The

latch 20 has a pair of tongues 52 struck down therefrom and seated or hooked into apertures 54 in thebase 10 H and the ends of the tension spring 22 are hooked to the back end of latch 20 and to a lug 56 struck down from the base 10 to hold the latch normally in itslatching:

position as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. A part ofthe base 10 is cut out as at 58 to provide space for the main or coiled portion of spring 22.

It may be noted, from Fig. 3, that when the device is closed, the bottom edge of the covers flange 30 is substantially spaced from lug 28 of" the pencil-retainer. Hence, at that time, both springs 18 and 26 are applying a torque force tending to open the device because the bottom end of spring 18 is pressing directly against the base while the bottom end of spring 26 is pressing the pencilretainer against the base.

To open the device to render the pad 32 accessible for use, the user presses downwardly on the top portion 60 of the latch 20, pivoting the latter as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 3, thereby releasing the cover 12 to respond to the torque stresses in both springs 18 and 26 and thereby start moving upwardly toward its open position.

When such upward movement of the cover progresses to the point illustrated in Fig. 4, the bottom edge of the covers back flange 30 engages lug 28 so that continued upward movement of the cover causes the pencil-retainer 16 (and the pencil 17 in it) to pivot upwardly in unison with the cover until the latter and said retainer reach their positions shown in Fig. 5 in which the device is fully open and the pencil is held and served to the user at a desired precise angle. Thus, it may be understood that both springs 18 and 26 function during a first part Patented Oct. 6, 1959 mentioned aligned 3 of the upward movement of the cover, when the leverage of the weight of the cover is most effective and strong spring force is most needed, while thereafter only springls has any cover-moving eitect, thereby reducing the force continuing to move the cover upwardly and minimizing .orobviating any shock as the cover reaches its fully open position. I I e To close the device, the user manually swings the cover to its closed, latched position.

The sheets and bottom sheet or cardboard of pad 3:2 are preferably gummed together in a well-understood manner at either the top or the bottom small side of the-pad so that a replacement pad may easily be inserted by sliding the pads bottom sheet or cardboard endwisely underneath the flanges 36. If desired, a calendar card 62 or other information card may be held in place within the cover underneath the upper ends of the springs 18 and 26. I

It should be realized that the disclosed concepts may be utilized in various other structural arrangements without, however, departing from the invention as set forth inthe following claims.

I claim:

1. A pencil serving memorandum pad-holder comprising a base member having means for locating a pad thereon, a cover member pivoted upon said base member, apencil-retainer pivoted between said members, coveropening means yieldably urging said cover continuously toward its open position, holding means coacting with and between said cover member and said pencil-retainer to yieldably hold said pencil-retainer in intimate association with said base when said cover is in closed position, pencil retainer actuating means integral with said cover member and coacting with said retainer during a latter part of opening movement of the cover to pivot said retainer away 'from said base, and manually releasable latch means for holding the cover closed upon the base; said holding means coacting with and between the two said members to aid said cover-opening means in urging the cover toward its open position only prior to the mentioned latter part of said opening movement of the cover, and said holding means coacting with said pencil-retainer actuating means and the pencil-retainer to hold the latter between and spaced from both said members when the cover is in open position.

2. A pencil-serving memorandum pad-holder compris ing a base member having means for locating a pad thereon'g'a cover member pivoted upon said base member, a

pencil-retainer pivoted between said members, coveropening means yieldably urging said cover continuously toward its open position, holding means yieldably hold ing said pencil-retainer in intimate association with said base when said cover is in closed position, pencil-retainer actuating means integral with one of said members and coacting with said retainer during a latter part of opening movement of the cover to pivot said retainer away from said base, and manually releasable latch means for holding the cover closed upon the base; said'holding means coacting with the two said members to aid said cover-opening means in urging the cover toward its open position only prior to the mentioned latter part of said opening movement of the cover, and said holding means coacting with said pencil-retainer actuating means to hold the pencil-retainer between and spaced from both said members when the cover is in open position; said pencil-retainer being tubular, and said holding means being a coil spring, one end of which extends within said retainer. i

3. A pencil-serving memorandum pad-holder comprising a base member having means for locating a pad thereon, a cover member pivoted upon said base memher, a pencil-retainer pivoted between said members, cover-opening means yieldably urging said cover continuously toward its open position, holding means yieldably holding said pencil-retainer in intimate association with said base when; said cover is in closed position, pencil:

retainer actuating means integral with oneof said mem- V bers and coacting with said retainer during a latter part of opening movement of the cover to pivot said retainer away from said base, and manually releasable latch means for holding the cover closed upon the base; said holding means coacting with ,the two said members to aid said cover-opening means in urging the cover toward its open position only prior to the mentioned latter part of said opening movement of the cover, and said holding means coacting with said pencil-retainer actuating means to hold the pencil-retainer between and spaced from both said members when the cover is in open position; said holdingmeans comprising a spring, stressed between the cover and the pencil retainer and urging the latter toward said base.

4. A pencil-serving memorandum pad-holder according to claim 3, said pencil-retainer being in engagement with the :base prior to the mentioned latter part of the opening movement of the cover whereby to render the force of said spring efiective between the base and the cover to aid said cover-opening means in urging the cover toward its open position.

5. A pencil-serving memorandum pad-holder according to claim 3, said pencil-retainer being clear of engagement with the base during the mentioned latter part of the opening movement of the cover whereby to leave the said cover-opening means as the sole means for com pleting the opening movement of the cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 463,099 Canada Feb. 14, 1950 

